According to the site Spinalheadache.org, spinal headaches occur when the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain and spinal nerves leaks out, causing the pressure within the skull to decrease. Spinal headaches are characterized by an extreme headache that increases in severity when you are standing up, often accompanied by nausea, dizziness, an uncomfortable sensation of pressure in the head, neck stiffness, trouble seeing clearly and a sensitivity to light, vomiting and difficulty hearing. There are four main causes of spinal headaches: spinal taps, spinal anesthesia, trauma to the brain or spine and the development of a spinal diverticulum.
Spinal Taps
The Mayo Clinic reports that up to 30 percent of people undergoing a spinal tap--also known as a lumbar puncture--end up suffering from a spinal headache that develops between 12 hours to five days following the procedure. In a spinal tap, a long needle is inserted between two of the lower back's lumbar vertebrae and into your spinal canal to take a sample of the cerebrospinal fluid for testing. After the spinal tap is complete, fluid may leak out of the puncture hole that was made in the spinal membrane, leading to a spinal headache.
Spinal Anesthesia
Spinal anesthesia is injected into the spinal canal when certain medical procedures require only the lower half of the body to be anesthetized. Just as with a spinal tap, the puncture hole made within the spinal cord's membrane, or dura mater, may allow cerebrospinal fluid to leak out and cause a spinal headache. According to the site Depression-guide.com, spinal anesthesia like epidural anesthesia--a type of lower-body anesthesia that is normally injected in the spinal column without puncturing the spinal membrane--can also cause a spinal headache if, during administration of the medication, the needle accidentally passes through the spinal membrane.
Brain or Spinal Trauma
Spinalheadache.org reports that spinal headaches may also develop in people who have suffered from injuries to the spinal column or brain that cause tears in the spinal membrane, allowing spinal fluid to leak out. Additionally, people undergoing surgery on the brain or spine can experience spinal headaches as a side effect of the procedure.
Spinal Diverticulum
A spinal diverticulum develops when a portion of the spinal cord membrane balloons out, usually directly next to a part of the spinal cord where a spinal nerve exits the main cord. This diverticulum can slowly leak cerebrospinal fluid, causing spinal headaches that are often difficult to diagnose. While this condition is rare, Spinalheadache.org points out that it is more common in people who suffer from connective tissue diseases.
